Who else thought of that scene in The Dark Night when they saw the title of this Minute Physics video?
via The Loop
It’s rare that I talk about tools that don’t involve hardware or software, here. I’m not as handy with the traditional kind like my father and uncles. I certainly wish I was but I don’t think I have the space, patience, or risk tolerance for hard core craftsmanship. Someday, I’d like to change that but, until then, I’ll stick to being the computer guy.
That said, I still apply the theory that if you’re going to get a tool, you should get the best (and right) tool for the job. And if you’re looking for a cordless drill, Gear Patrol has a good roundup of some of the best. The usuals are there, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Bosch. Missing is Ryobi – which is Home Depot’s brand. I guess it didn’t make the cut.
When I was looking for a drill (I have some tools), I opted for corded because they were a little stronger and less expensive. But I sometimes regret the decision thinking it’s not the right tool because the cord gets in the way. I don’t use a drill often enough to replace it so you could say it was still the right one to get. But if I do decide to get handy on something other than a circuit board, I’ll be sure to revisit this list.
Ben Bajarin on Apple’s health and its long term prospects:
Companies today are faced with the reality that a hardware only business model is not sustainable. That business model always results in a ruthless race to the bottom. Companies who can add unique value at the software and services level can protect their hardware efforts. In mature markets the vertical model is the most sustainable and defendable model there is. So it is easy to see why others are on the verge of going fully vertical the same way Apple has been for decades. Which brings up an interesting point and it gets to the question of my columns title.
Almost every major company who is thinking long term is headed in a vertical direction. This is a model that Apple has used since the beginning. To put it another way, Apple has decades of experience executing the very model that many companies are hanging their future on. This does not mean that others will be successful implementing a vertical model, only that they believe it is the way forward.
This is a very reasonable analysis by Ben. He has so many other good points, too. After reading his take, it’s even more clear that Apple’s long term outlook is pretty strong.
via The Loop
Jason Kottke caught this piece from The New Yorker from last year and, being interested in operations, to say it piqued my interest would be an understatement. Jason highlighted a different piece of the article as it relates to healthcare – which is certainly something that could reduce costs and increase the quality of care for patients. But what I want to highlight from the article is a small bit on how a Cheesecake Factory restaurant works behind the scenes:
The kitchen design is the same in every restaurant, he explained. It’s laid out like a manufacturing facility, in which raw materials in the back of the plant come together as a finished product that rolls out the front. Along the back wall are the walk-in refrigerators and prep stations, where half a dozen people stood chopping and stirring and mixing. The next zone is where the cooking gets done—two parallel lines of countertop, forty-some feet long and just three shoe-lengths apart, with fifteen people pivoting in place between the stovetops and grills on the hot side and the neatly laid-out bins of fixings (sauces, garnishes, seasonings, and the like) on the cold side. The prep staff stock the pullout drawers beneath the counters with slabs of marinated meat and fish, serving-size baggies of pasta and crabmeat, steaming bowls of brown rice and mashed potatoes. Basically, the prep crew handles the parts, and the cooks do the assembly.
Computer monitors positioned head-high every few feet flashed the orders for a given station. Luz showed me the touch-screen tabs for the recipe for each order and a photo showing the proper presentation. The recipe has the ingredients on the left part of the screen and the steps on the right. A timer counts down to a target time for completion. The background turns from green to yellow as the order nears the target time and to red when it has exceeded it.
When I look at any industry – whether it be healthcare, software development, financial services, or hospitality, I think of it as a just a different kind of factory. Inputs, process, outputs. There are requirements, standards, measurements, and acceptable deviations (or not) from those plans. By treating everything like an assembly line, interesting things happen. You create a consistent product and experience which will define you.
Disney is famous for this. I read or watched on TV once[1] that Disney goes through great pains to manage the lines for their rides, attractions, and restaurants at their theme parks. There is a whole underground support system for the operations of the business that no one ever sees because it would distract from the “magic.” Likewise, they make sure their characters are never so close to a guest as to be seen in two places at once. Obviously, they have more than one Mickey but the children wouldn’t know it.
Apple, of course, is also famous for its operations. While it offloads the assembly to a 3rd party, it has its supply chain down to a near perfect science. Their retail stores aren’t much different. Good brands like Whole Foods, The Cheesecake Factory, BMW, Apple, and Disney know exactly how to deliver and monitor their products with as little waste as possible. If this philosophy were applied to other companies and industries (I’m looking at you transportation sector) with such rigor, I bet they’d have a better product at a lower cost.
via Kottke
I wish I could remember where I saw it. It could have been Modern Marvels on The History Channel. ↩
Like many guys, I’m a beer drinker. For some reason, my senses can tell the differences in beer and Scotch (and other whiskeys) but not wine or other distilled liquors. Of course, I’m not into just any beer. I avoid the larger breweries that make the swill America is, sadly, most famous for and favor the microbrews that experiment with smaller batches and more distinctive offerings. Most of the time, I just go to a bar or a decent store to discover new beers. Top Hops is a favorite place of mine and if you live in the city, it’s one of the many places you should go to find something great. You can also go to beer festivals and Outside Magazine compiled their top ten North American beer festivals.
Sadly, there’s only one in New York but it looks pretty interesting. Still, Brooklyn has a great beer culture and there are quite a few good breweries to visit. But if you happen to live in the Northeast or Midwest, there are some great looking festivals to go to.